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Big-box battle brews as developers vie for approvals in Greece

Sign for The Shops at Hampton Ridge on West Ridge Road in Greece, where developers DiMarco Group are seeking approvals for a 156,000 square-foot as-yet-unnamed big box retailer.(Photo: Meaghan M. McDermott)

A pair of big-name developers are vying to get approvals from the town of Greece for similarly sized 'big-box" stores across from each other on West Ridge Road.

The question is: are they fighting over the same retailer?

Buffalo-based Benderson Development Company and Rochester-based DiMarco Group each own land along West Ridge Road between Elmgrove and Manitou roads, with DiMarco's parcels on the north and Benderson's on the south side. The DiMarco site is better known as Hampton Ridge, in total an 89-acre retail/mixed use center anchored presently by a Kohl's and a 23,000-square-foot office building. The Benderson site is undeveloped.

But, Benderson was before the Town Board last month looking for approvals it needs to move ahead with a four-building commercial development on about 23 acres of land between West Ridge Road and Larkin Creek. The centerpiece of the project: a 160,000-square-foot retail building.

Across the street, DiMarco Group is planning an expansion of its Hampton Ridge development, and earlier this week went to Greece's Planning Board looking for site plan approval for a project that would include a 156,000-square-foot big-box retail store and a gas station.

On the phone last week, DiMarco Group President John L. DiMarco II would not say which retailer he has lined up for the property.

"We're adjusting our plans to accommodate what we believe are the players in the market who might be interested," he said. "We're trying to be preemptive and have a plan that's shovel-ready for our tenants."

Representatives from Benderson did not return phone calls seeking comment, but it's no secret that a Walmart supercenter was to be the key anchor of a plan the developers floated back in 2010 for the same parcel where they're looking to site their newest big-box proposal.

Back then, the Walmart would have been part of a 125-acre project called Southwestern Commons, which would have included large and small retail space, banks, restaurants, mini-marts, pharmacies, office space and a senior living community.

While that project never came to fruition, Benderson is now looking to resurrect a similar but much smaller Southwestern Commons, this time with the as-of-yet unnamed big-box retailer.

Gary Tajkowski, Greece's director of development services said he could not confirm any particular interested retailer.

There is currently a Walmart store in Elmridge Plaza, about a mile east of both Benderson and DiMarco's proposed big-box sites.

DiMarco said there is vigorous competition for area developers to land big-name tenants and that his company is just looking to be ready if or when an opportunity arises. "When we get tenants interested in our area, you need to be ready to go or you will lose them,"

As for the West Ridge Road area, "there is a fair amount of interest in retail in that corridor, it is an underserved market and the existing stock of buildings is fairly well occupied," he said. "There's a need for more square-footage and we're reacting to the market. There is (an) opportunity."

Site plan approval is still pending for the Hampton Ridge proposal, while the Southwestern Commons proposal has so far only secured rezoning and has not yet gone before the Planning Board.

MCDERMOT@Gannett.com

Big box buzz by the numbers

Here's a look at the square footage of some of the more recent big-box projects in the Rochester area: